Well, I Laughed

It's listener stories from around the Well, I Laughed universe! "Kate" changes a dolphin's life in a way that would make Hellen Keller proud. Next, Birdie's dog gets a rap sheet right before Birdie has a month of unfortunate events. It's funny, we promise. Or, at least we laughed.

00:00:00 Catch-Up
00:29:54 "Kate" is the Anne Sullivan for a Dolphin
00:53:40 Birdie's dog goes to jail
01:17:23 Birdie's follow-up

Conne...

One of the most famous pair of outlaws in American history. Mythologized as a pair of tragic lovers. Outlaws. Infamous for their crime spree and their furious driving style. This week, Maia leads Grant through the back story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. From Clyde’s rough childhood to Bonnie’s concerned mother, the back story before their criminal records provide interesting clues and more than a few laughs. Donke...

Long before Rosa Parks famously refused to move from her seat on a public bus, thousands of Black Americans had spent decades protesting segregation with their bodies. Ida B. Wells grew up orphaned, impoverished, and with several young siblings to care for. But Wells never let the circumstances of her life stop her from advocating for what is right. An accomplished author, Wells was exiled from the South for decades for her explosi...

It's stories from the Well, I Laughed listener-verse! This week's stories feature lawlessness, heartbreak, and some pretty wild women. Our first story comes from Lily’s whose wild adventures in her youth lead to love and so much more. Squinn is shocked to find out their favorite game was also deeply educational. An anonymous listener who finds out it is always the quiet ones you have to watch out for (to break the law). And E...

A lot has been said by Helen Keller. Revered by many, misunderstood by some. Helen's life was so extraordinary that some assume her life's accomplishments must be embellished. How did a woman with no sight, no hearing, living decades before the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act manage to do it all? But what often gets lost in the well-deserved praise of her accomplishments is the radical idealist behind those acts. Hel...

Some are born for greatness, others are made. For Judit Polgár and her sisters, their father was not leaving it up to chance. Raised from birth to be chess prodigies, the Polgár sisters overcame communism, misogyny, and her own self doubt to become the youngest chess grandmaster in history and the first woman to ever break into the top ten chess players in the world. Win, lose, or draw, there is no questioning her legacy. This week...

It's our listener episode and we have some WILD stories to end our Wild Women theme. Nicole shares that in her family nothing is what it seems... because it could be full of money. Jenny is haunted be a spooky force that won't leave her alone. Emily learns to be careful what you wish for, especially if you are not close to a bathroom. And Axel get's closer to "be gay, do crime!" than almost any other listener story we've had so far...

Be a girl, do crime! This week Maia takes us to the streets of London and snitches on a girl gang with sticky fingers. The Forty Elephants gang was notorious for the crimes they pulled off. Using their wits, charm, and a eye for the most valuable merchandise in the store this all-girl group had no problem slipping out whatever they liked most. We also take a closer look at a few of the leading Queens like Mary Carr (subject of A Th...

We love powerful women on this show, and this week's subject is no different! Boudica is known as a powerful leader against Roman control. She is a popular figure in British history. And her likeness is used as a symbol for a host of causes. But what is the actual story behind Boudica's popularity? What is her story? And who can we trust when it comes to document it and share it truthfully. This week we dive in the Tit for Tat hist...

It's a week of listener stories! Of people finding and losing themselves. Jaime's aunt finds herself and a lifelong friend, a plant, Malana breaks into the wrong bus, Allison runs a tight ship, and Nokhaze craves a ring and to terrify her mother. All that and more, this week on Well, I Laughed!

00:00:00 Pattie Gonia v. Patagonia
00:20:53 Catch-Up
00:29:59 Jaime's aunt finds herself
00:45:25 Malana breaks into a bus

If you could be anyone in the world, who would you be? For one French peasant that question wasn't theoretical. When Martin Guerre left his village, wife, and child behind he was not missed. When he returned he was a changed man and suddenly beloved. But how much can one man change? Turns out, a whole lot. We ask the question that befuddled the village: who are you? This week on Well, I Laughed.

00:00:00 Catch-Up
00:31:50 Who...

To catch a criminal, sometimes you have to pretend to be a criminal. That was the thought process behind "Operation Sting" the very first organized sting operation in the United States lead by Lt Detective Bob Arscott of the DC Metro Police. The operation was "successful" at capturing criminals, less successful at coming up with their fake names. But in the aftermath of the operation some sticky questions remain. Did the operation ...

These stories are good... lawfully good even (maybe?). And they come from you! Sandi writes in with her own story about the work of Judy Heumann and how it has shaped her own life. Next, Blair and her fellow teenage, rural Canadians brave the big city and become crime fighters. Shannon learns a few lessons by going the wrong way. And Rosie & Natasha shines bright on a night out with friends. All that and more, this week on Well...

Do you know your neighbors? Do you want to? François Clemmons is one of America's iconic examples of neighborly love. Through the combination of the love of his neighbors and his own love of music, we meet history's best neighbor: Mister Fred Rogers. A powerful advocate for educational television, Mister Rogers taught American children it was okay to feel and how to process big emotions. But his legacy extends to his friends and co...

Bass Reeves' adult life started with a crime: he ran away from the white man enslaving him. In his quest for freedom he made his way to the state of Oklahoma, learned several languages, and became the toughest man west of the Mississippi. All traits he would need when he became the first Black US Marshal in the west. A life that began with a crime would be defined by it’s lawfulness. Meet your favorite Lone Ranger, this week ...

Most of these stories are righteous, one might be a crime, but they all came from you! Lauren talks resistance movements in daycare. Liv survives and thrives in off-air reality television. Laura is fully prepared for all but one thing on her way to an interview. Hazel bounds over how crappy her brother is. And Michelle "bears" a lesson learned while canoeing. All that and more, this week on Well, I Laughed!

00:00:00 Catch-Up
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In the 1970s the campers at Camp Jened in upstate New York all shared two things in common. First, that they were all living with some kind of disability. And second, they would help launch a movement that would change the world. The United States looked very different 50 years ago for individuals with disabilities - it was closed to them. Our modern world is filled with physical proof - from elevators to curb cuts - of the advocac...

Women are expected to be quiet and complacent. Where such an expectation would limit most women, a few have managed to use it for the greater good. When the NAZIs occupied the Netherlands during the second World War, resistance took many forms. For these ladies of liberty, it took on a violent and righteous resistance. Hannie Schaft, Freddie and Truus Oversteegen were known to on occasion to use their beauty to lure NAZI soldiers t...

This week it's YOUR episode! It's the listener episode! Some of these stories maybe should have stayed In the Dark because we have several Prime Time Crimes on deck for you as well! First, Jaime's friend helps an old woman wrestle a trout in the dark. Jamal breaks the law and some skin all in the quest to impress a girl. Danica spills the beans on jury duty (Maia is jealous). And "Ashley" discovers church and state don't have to be...